


Gizmo and Gadget

by FallenFurther



Series: Easter TAG exchange [1]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Animal Abuse, Animals, Brothers, Cute, Dolphins, Fluff, Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, References to Thunderbirds, Rehabilitation, Rescue, Tumblr, sugar glider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23609890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenFurther/pseuds/FallenFurther
Summary: Written for the 2020 Easter TAG exchange.Prompts: Scott with a sugar glider.Gordon wins a trip to an animal rehabilitation centre and Scott has to take him.
Relationships: Gordon Tracy/Scott Tracy
Series: Easter TAG exchange [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686976
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	Gizmo and Gadget

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WillowDragonCat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillowDragonCat/gifts).



The seatbelt was barely containing Gordon and Scott was starting to feel a bit less comfortable with the idea of being responsible for the naughty thirteen-year-old. Scott's eyes went back to the road, his grip on the steering wheel a little too tight as the seat squeaked beside him. 

"Turn left, Scott! The Hamilton Centre is left!" 

Scott sighed as he flipped the indicator. The navigation system was fully capable of getting them there on time. Dad was meant to have taken Gordon but something urgent had popped up and seeing as Scott had just turned eighteen, he now classed as an adult, so was sent to accompany Gordon in his place. How Dad thought Scott could keep Gordon out of trouble he didn't know. He had tried to convince Dad to send Grandma but apparently that wasn't going to happen either. So, it was Scott who had to take the teen to the animal centre. Trust Gordon to win first prize in the Discovery Channel's kids competition. He was barely a kid now! Though you won't know from his behaviour, or height. A smile crossed Scott's lips as he stopped at a junction. Gordon was adamant he was going to have a major growth spurt now he was a teenager and would soon be able to look him in the eye. Scott couldn't deny the fact that his brother was likely to grow, but part of him hoped he'd stay shorter. Scott couldn't handle Gordon's bragging at the best of times, let alone if he ended up taller than him. The entrance for the animal rehabilitation centre came into view and Scott caught the massive grin on Gordon's face out the corner of his eye. 

Scott parked up and they both climbed out his car. Gordon ran to the back and retrieved his bag from the trunk. Part of the prize was a swim with the dolphins which couldn't be released, and Gordon was ecstatic. Heading into the reception they were met by two keepers, who welcomed them with excitement and smiles that rivalled Gordon's. Scott tried not to put a downer on the situation as he signed the consent forms that were passed straight to him. A quick flash of his diving licence to confirm he was eighteen and that was all that was required from him. Their guides introduced themselves as Joyce and Martin. Joyce was going to give them the tour first and the swim was going to be done by Martin after lunch. Scott followed behind Joyce and Gordon, both animated in their discussion of their favourite animals. Joyce put most her focus into Gordon, which was perfectly fine for Scott, who was happy just to listen. 

The centre was large, and there were many other employees going about caring for the animals. The tour took them through the main building which housed small mammals. Then they passed the various pools and enclosures where the larger water-based mammals were kept. Scott was surprised to see so many permanent residents, many of which had injuries which stopped them from being released. The smaller permanent animals were often trained to go out in public and be ambassadors for their species, used to educate people about proper animal care and habitat protection. There was a poorly beaver, and in the aviary, there was some recuperating birds of prey, including a California Condor and a Turkey vulture. Scott was impressed by the Bald Eagle, who had a broken wing that made it unable to fly. Scott was certain Joyce was taking pity on him when she offered to let him hold the bird. He smiled and accepted the offer. A thick leather glove was placed on his hand and he tried not to be unnerved by the dead baby chick that was placed between his finger and thumb. The great bird was then brought close to him. Joyce held his hand as the bird, called George, stepped onto the glove. Scott reacted quickly, tensing his muscles against the 9 1/2 pounds of bird. Joyce slowly removed her hand until he was the only one supporting its weight. Scott was very thankful for his time in the gym, as the bird shifted. George's amber eye studied Scott with an intensity Scott wasn't expecting. Its head was held high, showing off its brilliant white feathers, and he had to admit he was in awe of the majestic creature. Gordon pulled out his phone and snapped a few shots. George must have considered Scott to be okay as the bird bent down and ripped the head off the chick. Gordon laughed and took more pictures of the bird eating. Once the chick was devoured Joyce took George from Scott.

"Can I hold him?" Gordon asked eagerly.

"Only adults can hold the large birds, but you can hold Ruby, our red-tailed hawk." 

There was a little disappointment from Gordon, but he accepted the hawk. Scott made sure to snap pictures every time Gordon held an animal so Dad, Grandma and Alan could see. He was sure Virgil and John will be shown the pictures whether they wanted to see them or not. After the aviary it was the reptile house. This started off fine, with beetles and cockroaches, and Gordon was okay around the snakes. However, the teen froze when they came face to face with the lizards. Scott could see his brother trembling and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Joyce thankfully picked up on Gordon's change in mood, and only gave them a quick tour, naming the various species, before moving on to the amphibians, which were more to Gordon's liking. This completed the tour, and they were taken to the staff room where lunch was laid out. Scott tucked in gratefully, while Gordon chatted with the keepers who were more than happy to share their knowledge and experience. 

It was then time for Gordon to swim with the dolphins. Scott sat at the side of the pool, camera ready, as Gordon changed. The look on Gordon's face when the first dolphin came up to him was priceless, and Scott had to admit he was enjoying seeing his younger brother so relaxed and in his element. Joyce sat beside Scott throughout the session, and they made pleasant small talk. She turned to him as Gordon waved goodbye to the dolphins. 

"I need to go check up on some of the smaller animals, would you like to join me while Gordon changes and finishes up here with Martin?"

Scott glanced back at his brother. He was behaving himself, so he should be okay to leave him with Martin. 

"I'd enjoy that."

Scott followed Joyce back to the main building and was led down a corridor to one of the small mammal rooms. They hadn't entered this one on the tour, so Scott was a little intrigued. 

"We keep some of our nocturnal animals in this room."

Joyce headed straight for metal cage, filled with ropes and soft pouches. It was so unlike the other cages they had seen, which contained habitats which mimicked the animal’s natural environment. This one appeared entirely man-made and artificial. 

"I've built up quite the bond with two of the four sugar gliders we have here. They are all ex-pets that were abandoned and found in very poor condition. We use these guys to show what happens when you don't give animals the right care."

Scott stood back as Joyce opened the cage and picked out one of the pouches. She clutched the pouch carefully in her hands and brought it over to him. Scott put Joyce in her twenties, but her excited smile made her look younger. It was cute. 

"This is Gadget and Gizmo."

Two small faces peered up at him with the biggest eyes. Their eyes were so prominent but seemed to fit their little long faces. They both had a brown stripe that went over their head and down their face to their pink whiskered noses. A lopsided smile came to his face as Scott peered at the small creatures. 

"These guys are brothers. The other two, Attenborough and Grylls, are the original two. Attenborough, Atty as we call him, is eleven years old, his mate Elisa passed away two years ago. So, when Grylls needed rescuing we tried putting them together and they got on, despite the fact that we think Grylls is only four years old. We only got these two last year, they were malnourished and are small for their age. They’ve been thriving since though. Hold out your arm and we see if they like you."

Scott didn't quite know what to expect but tentatively held out his arm. Joyce held the pouch to his wrist and gently squeezed the bottom. Suddenly a little creature jumped onto his sleeve. It was so small, its tail wrapping around his arm for security. The stripe on this one's head continued down its back, fading into the paler fur. Scott could feel the sharp claws through the fabric of his shirt. 

"That's Gizmo."

Gizmo suddenly climbed up Scott's arm and paused on his shoulder. He couldn't help but laugh. Who'd have thought he'd end up with a little glider on his shoulder! He turned and glanced at the mammal. He could almost feel its fur against his chin, it was so close to his face. As he studied Gizmo, Scott felt a weight and more claws in his arm. Obviously, Gadget didn't want to stay in the pouch alone. A glance at his wrist and there was the other sugar glider, the same size but with a slightly different pattern to Gizmo. Scott held still, not knowing how to react to the small creatures. Could you stroke them? Or did they just sit there. 

"Looks like they like you." Joyce smiled. She came closer, a mealworm in her fingers. "Good boy, Gizmo."

She offered the glider the mealworm, which it took in its small hands. It greedily ate it up, small flakes of the worm falling into his shirt. The claws that clasped the worm were so long that Scott wasn't surprised he could feel them through the fabric of his shirt. A mealworm was given to Gadget, who made the same mess. While Scott was admiring Gizmo, the sugar glider decided to move. It darted behind Scott, climbing along his back. As Gizmo hung off Scott's back Gadget clambered up his arm and climbed along his front. The sugar glider paused on his left pocket, one of his hands on the edge. Scott could imagine the glider looked like a living emblem from the front. Gadget then stuck his head in the pocket, before deciding it was safe and clambering in. Scott felt the little warm body shifting against his chest. Peering down, the little head looked up at him. Gadget appeared to be quite content in there. 

Joyce had turned to Gizmo and Gadget's cage, replacing food and doing some spot cleaning, so hadn't seen Gadget’s antics. Scott watched as she moved to another cage while Gizmo moved across his back to his other shoulder. It hadn't registered that he was still holding his arm out stiffly. Scott turned back to Gizmo only to be met with a close up of his furry behind and tail. Scott heard the click of a cage door from where Joyce was, however before he could turn his head, Gizmo jumped from his shoulder. Shocked, Scott turned, scared that he was about to lose the little creature. The sugar glider, however, was perfectly happy, clinging to the bars of another cage. Scott watched, still panicking, as the glider quickly climbed along and up the cage. Without knowing quite what to do, Scott cupped his hands together and tried to grab it. His hands clasped around its small body, only for it to slip through his fingers and clamber away. He kept at it, with each attempt failing, until he heard a chuckle from behind him. He froze, before twisting on the spot. The worry in him dissipated at the sight of Joyce laughing. There was a sugar glider clinging to her chest, while another looked on from the cage behind her. 

“It’s okay, Scott. They will jump from cage to cage. They can’t get out the room and should be perfectly safe.”

Scot chuckled, and as if to prove a point, Gizmo jumped onto his head. The claws dug into his scalp as the glider moved to the top of his head. Scott winced a little, then sighed. The creature would have messed his hair up. Joyce was chortling now but managed to whip out her phone and point it at him. 

“These guys are okay with hair gel, right?” Scott questioned, suddenly aware of how much he had massaged into his hair that morning. He’d hate the poor thing to get sick because it chose the wring head to jump on. 

“I’ll give him a quick wipe over.”

Joyce came over and retrieved Gizmo. She took a cloth from the side, and gave him a quick rub down, causing a round of barks from the animal. Joyce let Gizmo cling to her, before she scooped up one of the others and placed him on Scott. 

“This is Atty.”  
Atty was a darker brown than the brothers and seemed quite happy to just hang from Scott. As he was admiring Atty, another glider jumped onto his arm and quickly ran up to his shoulder. 

“That one is Grylls.” 

Grylls didn’t stay on Scott’s shoulder for long, with Scott only just catching a glimpse of a tail, before feeling the glider climb down his back. He could feel the glider swinging against his back, on the edge of his shirt. Again, Scott was worried about the little guy falling, however, he soon felt Grylls climb back up before jumping onto the cage behind him. It was an odd feeling, the way the pressure on his back increased before the jump, then was gone suddenly. Scott peered over his shoulder in time to see Grylls jump to the next cage along. Joyce was quickly behind him, pouch in hand, and managed to coax him back into it. 

“I think we’d better put these guys away and go find your brother.”

Joyce held the pouch containing Grylls up to Attenborough, who happily jumped into it, and snuggled up with the younger glider. They were put back in their cage. A small chase occurred with Gizmo, who was now climbing all over his own cage, but soon he too was safely back in his pouch. The last one left was Gadget. Scott peeked into his pocket and smiled at creature who still looked very content. 

“Now, where did Gadget go?”

As if he knew he was being called, Gadget wiggled and poked his head out Scott’s pocket. 

“Now that’s cute!” Joyce smile, retrieving her phone again and snapping a picture. “Mind if I use these for a presentation, I’m doing it in two weeks’ time? Also, what’s you email so I can forward them to you?”

“Sure.” Scott rattled off his email and Joyce put it in her phone, before offering the pouch to Gadget who happily joined his brother. The pouch was hung back in the cage and they left them to sleep. Scott followed Joyce back out of the main building and down the path towards the dolphin enclosure. They hadn’t got very far before a familiar voice called out. 

“Scott! Scott! Look what I’ve got!” 

Scott turned to his brother, who was grinning from ear to ear, and them followed the lead he was holding. At the end of the lead was a white fluffy three-legged animal, but it wasn’t a dog. A quizzical look crossed Scott’s face. 

“That’s Miyuki, our Arctic fox. She had a broken leg that got infected. We had to amputate it, but she’s more than capable without it.”

“Isn’t she great, Scott? I’m walking a fox!”

Scott laughed and took a photo. Dad had been right when he told Scott that he was going to enjoy himself. Getting out with Gordon may not be on the top of Scott’s to do list, but this had been worth in. He swiped his message tab, located the email, and saved the photos. A smile crossed his face at the sight of Gizmo in his head. Walking to stand beside Gordon, Scott held out his phone for Gordon to see. 

“I made friends with Gizmo.”

Gordon’s laugh filled the air and Scott couldn’t stop himself from joining in.

**Author's Note:**

> When I saw this prompt I immediately thought of Animal Wonders, a educational outreach organisation that post videos on YouTube. They have sugar gliders, two called Gizmo and Gadget, which is where the names come from, though I made their personalities my own.


End file.
